It hadn't been easy for Anakin.

It was the same sky, the same orange sky he'd store at blankly for what felt like hours, but was probably minutes, as Ahsoka Tano departed the Jedi temple, the Jedi order and made her way from his life, most likely forever. He kept expecting her to run back up those never-ending stairs and greet him with a rueful smile, with tears lining her wide blue eyes, stating how she simply couldn't leave. That she had to come back, that her rightful place had been by his side and that's the way it would stay for many years to come.

He'd waited, not moving a muscle as the city winds blew past him, chilling his exposed skin and ruffling his clothes.

How many times had they been separated and managed to find their way back to each other? During the clone wars, Anakin had lost count; he'd saved her from certain death at the hands of General Grievous, or that Bounty Hunter, Cad Bane.

He remembered how harshly he had commanded his men to search for her after she disappeared on Felucia, or the time she'd been poisoned on Naboo.

During the second battle of Geonosis, when she and Barriss had nearly died and afterwards when those brain worms took control of the clones and the ship itself.

Not to mention when they found themselves on Mortis and Anakin had nearly lost her there.

They'd survived everything and came out of it together, Anakin had to smile to himself as he stood there, "Snips" had undoubtedly given him a few wrinkles and stress lines, in the same way, he was sure he'd given many more to his own master.

She'd come back.

That's what he kept telling himself; he didn't move until it was Obi-Wan himself who ushered him back into the temple, Anakin didn't say a word, he didn't make eye contact with his master. He just kept on hoping; he kept expecting to hear it at any moment. At any time, he'd listen to that disturbance from the other Jedi, and he'd turn around and find that Ahsoka was standing there, breathless, but smiling. Despite her earlier misgivings she'd accept the apology from the Jedi masters and be allowed back into the order, back where she belonged.

"Anakin, this wasn't your fault," Obi-Wan said suddenly, cutting him out of his train of thought, Anakin looked up to see he was in one of the vast halls of the temple. The pillars stretched to the never-ending ceiling, the windows decorated and plastering colour on the walls and floor, he was sure they were other Jedi around, practising and talking and training. Still, they may as well have been empty shadows on the walls because too him, in those moments they didn't exist. Even Obi-Wan felt like he was speaking as if he was on the other side of an enormous chasm.

The temple felt empty.

"Anakin" Obi-Wan repeated, more urgency in his tone this time as he took his student by the shoulders and gently applied pressure, causing the downtrodden young man to meet his master's icier eyes.

"Anakin" the bearded man repeated for the third time "You did everything you could for her".

The Jedi knight felt unease build in the pit of his stomach, his master's tone had a sense of finality to it, which he found unsettling.

"She'll come back" he found himself saying, suddenly aware of how croaky and weak he sounded.

Obi-Wan ducked his head, no doubt looking for the words of comfort to ease Anakin's troubled mind, but he couldn't seem to find them, nor he could meet Anakin's eyes when he next spoke.

"You and I both know, she's not."

Anakin didn't want to hear it; he slipped away from Obi-Wan, his master's arms fell limply at his sides, as the thought of life without Ahsoka made him feel physically sick. But before genuine grief and acceptance could take hold of him, he lashed out before he could stop himself. Pure unbridled, emotion, propelled his next words.

"This was the council's fault!" he spat, staring daggers into the polished floor of the temple "They didn't believe her! They didn't! How could they!?" he thundered "After everything she did for them!? How could anyone think like that!"

"Anakin, ranting here is not going to do you any favours" Obi-Wan began in an ill-attempt to calm his apprentice.

"Then what is!?" Anakin snapped, a mixture of fury and sarcasm evident in his tone "Did you think she did it!? Did you!? Are you just like the others!?"

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan growled, his voice becoming more profound and aggressive, his blue eyes narrowed to silts, "Of course I didn't! The council made a mistake, a grave mistake! I believed Ahsoka! You know I did! But what more could we have done for her!? We offered her a chance to return, and she declined."

"I don't believe this," Anakin snarled, "You're defending them!?"

"I'm not defending them!" Obi-Wan snapped "Ahsoka made her own choice Anakin, that's what I need you to understand!"

"She wouldn't have had to make that choice in the first place, if the council had given her the benefit of the doubt!" Anakin emphasised, his voice rising with every word, he became aware of how still and silent it had become, and he knew this silence. He could feel curious eyes boring into his form. It was the same silence he'd always receive after he'd revealed a daring plan to attack the enemy, or save Ahsoka or Obi-Wan, or any Jedi.

It was the silence that pressed on his ears, the silence in which dozens of pairs of clone eyes, would roll from behind their helmets, and probably think to themselves "Oh boy, here we go again, another one of General Skywalker's plans."

Right now, however, it was followed by further silence, Obi-Wan was staring at him, many others were staring at him. He was already the source of many Jedi's pastime gossip; he didn't need any nosy younglings or curious allies to report back to the council about what they'd heard. He knew the likes of Master Windu and the others would keeping tabs on him after this.

He turned wordlessly away from them all, the grandiose scale of the beauty of the temple always pleased him, now it disgusted him. How such a spacious place could feel so suffocating was something only the Jedi temple could accomplish.

"Anakin where are you going!?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Away from here" he replied in his sulkiest voice, before he took off, not looking back once.

Obi-Wan did not attempt to follow him, just as Plo-Koon had held him back when he went to take off after Anakin and Ahsoka earlier, he knew now that his apprentice needed space. It would be a difficult time for all of them, but Anakin needed time and space to recover.

But Ahsoka had been with them since the start of the war, and Obi-Wan had to wonder if things were ever going to be the same without her.

The same orange sky was still present when he arrived at the apartment.

Whereas his master had probably assumed he'd gone running back to his chambers, Anakin had other plans, as he paced around the empty, stainless apartment. Padme's lodgings had been smaller than the temple, but the tall windows and distance from the murky greyness of the senate district, made him feel more free and light. He exhaled deeply, the card he had always kept on him allowed him access to this apartment lay within his robotic hand. He remembered the day Dooku had cut it off, the Jedi knight, remembered the agony he felt. Still, Anakin also recalled the feel of Padme's soft skin along his wet cheek; she'd stayed with him when the medics carried him to the nearby medical ship.

It was orange that day as well, the harsh rays from the giant star, penetrated the planet's atmosphere. The sands and the sky were bleached a revolting shade of tangerine. He'd hated that planet; it reminded him of Tatooine, a place he'd been so keen to forget, due to his life as a slave there and the painful manifestation of his mother and her ultimate fate.

When one bad thing happened, Anakin felt himself fall into a black hole of negative memories and experiences that threatened to swallow him up whole. Despite the Jedi's teaching's he knew to isolate himself wasn't the solution, so when he heard the door behind him open, he felt the tiniest of smiles light upon his face.

At least he still had her.

"Ani?" she asked, perplexed to her husband sitting on the decorated sofa, Padme ventured forward slowly, sensing his mood coming off him in almost tangible, visible waves of misery. She knew whatever had happened hadn't been good for him at all, with his slumped back, his eyes locked on the floor below, his breathing, slow, deep and dense, she was almost afraid to ask what was wrong, but she gathered her resolve and took a seat next to him.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked gently, placing her hand above his own. Flesh pressed against metal, as Padme's eyes locked on the card her husband had clenched in his grip.

"You let yourself in" she noted pointlessly, trying to get him to say something. Yet he remained silent.

"Ani, you've let yourself in here for a reason," Padme said, trying to shuffle closer to him "I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong".

Anakin sighed, he turned to face his wife, her hair drinking in her appearance, with simply styled hair and minimal make-up, still dressed in the same black outfit she'd worn during Ahsoka's trial, it had only been hours since they'd won their case and now, it was all for nought.

Anakin shuddered and mumbled something that Padme didn't hear.

"Anakin," she said more urgently, dropping his shortened nickname and (like Obi-Wan) trying to get his attention "I didn't hear that, what's wrong? Who...?"

"Ahsoka"

The word was painful; the wound was fresh.

"Ahsoka?" Padme repeated "But, you brought in the real culprit! Anakin, what's going on!?"

"She's gone"

"Gone!?"

"Yes," Anakin said duly, knowing full well she wanted an explanation, he dived into one instantly "The council offered her the chance to return to the order. They apologised, said Barriss misled them, even said it was part of a greater trial for her."

"What a stupid thing to say!" Padme thundered "They got it wrong, how could they not admit to that, I'm guessing the council didn't, did they!?"

Anakin smiled and nodded; he'd shared his problems with the council with Padme, and she saw how badly they affected him.

"and then what happened?"

"Ahsoka didn't accept that. She refused to take her braids back and..." he sighed there, Padme allowed him to continue "...and I tried to stop her, I tried to talk to her! To get her to come back. Told her I wasn't happy with the order as well, but she just said she couldn't trust them or herself anymore, then, just like that, she was gone. I keep thinking she'll come back but..." he sighed there, tears threatening to spill from his eyes, as Padme held onto him tighter and whispered "I know Ani, I know... it's horrible; it's just so horrible."

"I don't know what to do now" he muttered, "This only happened hours ago, but she could come back couldn't she?" he asked of Padme, with a twinge of hope.

Padme sighed and shook her head.

"Ani, I know it's hard. But I can't say I blame Ahsoka for leaving. I don't think she'll come back."

"Can't blame her" Anakin nearly gasped, feeling his insides tighten, "After everything I went through! After all the searching I did! After fighting Barriss and exposing her! After making her confess! I thought she'd stay because despite of the council, I was there for her."

"You were there for her Ani," Padme said gently, trying to soothe him "More than anybody else, but there's nothing more you could have done, besides Ahsoka isn't your property, it was her choice to leave, you have to respect that".

"You sound like Obi-Wan."

"Well I'm hoping you listen to at least one of us," Padme said strictly "He cares about you too, and we both know this is going to be difficult for you."

"I feel like I've failed" Anakin admitted, hating to admit this all to Padme, but with her, he felt like he could get all of his troubles off his chest "I feel like, I wasn't a good enough teacher for her. That because of everything, she failed because of me. Master Yoda gave me a Padawan, and I messed it up."

"Messed it up!?" Padme snapped, "That's ridiculous, you taught that girl to think for herself, that's a far greater success than so many other Padawan's".

"Yeah, leaving the order, sentenced to death with no evidence, some success" he spat out sarcastically.

"She's alive," Padme said, despite this encouraging statement her eyes found the city below her "But I do hope she's alright out there, poor Ahsoka."

Anakin sighed there, the conversation between them drawing to a close for a couple of minutes, before the Jedi Knight felt himself speaking up once again.

"You're late back".

"It's been busy," Padme said, leaning into his chest and mumbling into his robes "After the trial today, a lot has happened. The arrangements for Barriss sentencing, the senate's take on all this. After what Barriss said and what the council has done, most senators are even more distrusting of the Jedi Council now. After the bombing, they'll all start to turn on the council and each other. The holo-net is going to be hell tonight".

"Isn't it always?" Anakin asked with a cocked eyebrow, he barely watched the Galaxy's leading news channel, because he knew full well how discouraging it was for himself and his men. Anti-Jedi and most commonly, Anti-Clone propaganda ran rampant throughout the media.

"But it will be worse," Padme said "The senators I've spoken to today have lost more faith in the Jedi, they don't trust them as protectors. So they're calling for another bill to get more clones deployed".

"We could use more men on the battlefield".

"Anakin, those men are human beings!" Padme snapped back at him.

"They're happy to fight Padme" Anakin growled "Rex and the others in the 501st, ask any of them, they all love to do their duty for the republic."

"That's because that's all they've ever known!" Padme exclaimed "Don't you think every so often they want time off as well? Or to be treated like any other ordinary person? Doesn't it sicken you how some of the senators, or even the Jedi treat them!?".

"I'm not like that Padme, I respect my men," Anakin said, "But If we didn't have them fighting for us, the separatists would win this war".

"Or we could engage in peace talks? War's not the answer for everything."

"Do you think General Grievous or Count Dooku are going to accept peace talks?"

"Of course not!" Padme snapped, "But not every separatist senator or citizen of a separatist system wants war, negotiations are an option."

"At this point, we just have to end this war and negotiations aren't the ideal way to go about it," Anakin said, "I'd love it if the galaxy were like that Padme, but it isn't, you should know that better than anyone, how many times have they tried to kill you!?"

"Which just proves my point! They're desperate for peace talks not to take place, because they know it can deescalate this war, it's what happened to Mina. I know the answer isn't just blindly charging to war. Doesn't it concern you as well Anakin? What are the Jedi becoming? Barriss was awful to do what she did, but she had an excellent point about them, they are losing their way, becoming generals and war-lords."

"Padme, she framed her friend!" Anakin growled beginning to lose her temper "Barriss left Ahsoka for dead, by framing her for that crime!"

"The Jedi council, left her to the mercy of the republic trial where that awful Tarkin suggested the death sentence." Padme shuddered there, thinking about coldly Admiral Tarkin had given that sentence.

"Despite all the evidence we had, the alibi's and the fact that Ahsoka hadn't done anything like it before, they were still going to sentence her, It's not just the council Anakin, it's the republic itself, the senate, and all that happened because the Jedi rushed to a conclusion. They refused to accept their faults and were willing to let Ahsoka die, so that they could save face".

Anakin felt anger pulse through his veins; Padme's words had made it clear to him. She had a way of summarising abhorrent behaviour (she'd seen far too much of it, as a senator) and she had correctly called out the council for the pure evil residing within it. Or more like it's arrogance, it's holier than thou attitude. The members were thinking themselves as God-like figures, knights in shining armour, leading brave charges of heroic clones, towards the heartless, evil scraps of machine that separatists churned out of their ships.

Anakin had to admit, that sounded like how he saw himself sometimes.

But Padme's words did make him stop and think, if he hadn't tried to find evidence, if he had killed Asajj Ventress rather than get the truth from her, Ahsoka's fate would have been sealed and there was nothing he could have done about it.

"I'm gonna have to tell the 501st she's not coming back, aren't I?" Anakin felt himself mumble aimlessly, this realisation dawning on him. Ahsoka wasn't coming back; he had to accept that statement as truth.

"Well you are their general, I'm guessing that job falls to you."

Anakin rolled his eyes.

"I'm tired of fighting Padme," he said "I just..." he managed a faint smile there "...honestly, how did we end up like this? We can't agree on anything."

Padme felt herself smiling now, as she detected a more playful tone in her husband's voice.

"Something about me being an angel, a hatred of sand, and so many other things." Padme mused, a smile lighting her face, as she would engage in this mocking humour of the things a socially awkward slave boy and young Padawan had said to her, during their early days.

Anakin laughed at this before he brought Padme closer and kissed her full on the mouth, their arms entwined together as they pulled each other closer. When they finally had to stop for breath, both red in the face, Anakin felt his hand loosely trail through the stands of her brown hair and the scent of the perfume she wore was hypnotising for him, drawing him ever closer.

"Ani, we can have a clone squadron try and find Ahsoka. She can stay here with me" Padme said, "I don't like the thought of her being out there on her own".

"I don't either, but do you think we have the men to spare for that? Maybe that's why we need more."

"They'd probably just get sent off, to clean Senator Taa's boots," Padme said jokingly "But Ani, surely we have to do something?"

"We can't. I'm more than likely get expelled from the order if I even considered going after Ahsoka" Anakin said "I know it's awful, I know what the order is becoming but I want to change it Padme! I want to be a Jedi! I know it's what right for me, but everything around me is just wrong" he muttered in shame.

"You've never thought about leaving?" Padme whispered, drawing him closer again, their lips were inches apart.

"Of course I did, I still do. It's what I told Ahsoka, and she told me she knew. I think she may have known about you and me".

"I trust Ahsoka, that's why I want her here, I want her safe, she's like our family," Padme said, "So many people loved her Anakin, Riyo's going to be in bits when I tell her, and you know the clones adored her, and most of the Jedi never spoke ill of her at all."

"But how many of them stepped forward when she was on trial?" Anakin inquired harshly, before his voice softened "That's what scares me Padme no matter how adored she was, or how much she did for everyone. When she needed help, when she needed the support she'd shown to so many others, no one provided it for her."

Padme frowned, this was a sad reality, it was easy to see how her husband was so upset by this.

"Even if it was just me, I wanted to show her that there was a least one person who truly cared for her."

"I know," Padme said, "But Anakin, if things get worse at that order, you're under no compulsion to stay there, it's damaging you, I know it."

"and do what?" Anakin said "If I get expelled from the order, I lose everything. I won't be able to fight with my men anymore, and I'll have nowhere to go."

"You're here right now."

"and if the Jedi found out about us? If anyone did?"

"Well, what are they going to do!? Expel you twice?" Padme joked, as Anakin felt himself laugh faintly, before he embraced Padme once again, their kisses becoming more heated and passionate, Anakin's hands trailed down from her hair and further down her body, as she gasped.

"Ani!"

"Padme" he whispered seductively "You're one of the few left I can trust, please, I don't want you to go, I want to keep you safe."

"Ani, of course, I'm safe, I'm here, I'm not going anywhere," Padme said.

They embraced once again, when they broke apart, Anakin took it upon himself to carry her towards the bedroom, as he leant in for another kiss, Padme whispered to him "It's okay Anakin, I know you'll see her again, I just know it".

He smiled and nodded, a warm feeling spreading throughout his chest and making his heart beat faster with every step he took closer to the bedroom.

"Right now, I want to see you," he said seductively.

From fighting Barriss Offee in the Jedi temple to Ahsoka's trial to her leaving, it had all happened in one disorientating, day, as the clone wars progressed the more men he lost, the more allies fell, the more friends turned foes. However, throughout it all, his rock, his centre of stability was still here and still comforting him.

Padme Amidala, the woman he loved, she was there for him always and so as they melted into each other, he couldn't have thought of himself as a luckier man. Somehow he just knew despite all the dread he felt from today, that in the end it would all be alright.

All under the same orange sky.